Michael
Keaton

Biography

An American actor born Michael John Douglas, Michael Keaton made his mark in Hollywood when he starred in a number of Comedy films in the 80's and is best remembered for his comedic roles. In his early life he attempted to enter the world of standup comedy in his native Pittsburg but was largely unsuccessful and instead found himself working for a local Pittsburg television station as a cameraman.

He was also able to gain a few small roles on local televison productions such as Where the Heart Is, and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1975), the later of which he was also was brought on as a full time production assistant. Michael eventually amde the move to LA hoping to land bigger roles and even changed his name taking the last name Keaton after Diane Keaton as he felt his name would often get confused with another famous actor, Michael Douglas.

His big break came in 1982 when he co starred in the Ron Howard comedy film Night Shift alongside Happy Days star Henry Winkler. He would go on to star in a number of comedy films that were hits at the time such as Johnny Dangerously (1984), Mr. Mom (1983) and the Tim Burton classic Beetlejuice (1988) as the title character.

His fame would eventually take him to one of his most remembered roles, Tim Burton's revamp of Batman. Whilst it was not the first time the caped crusader had appeared on the big screen and would not be the last, his portrayal of the masked hero would be remembered as far superior to that of other big names such as Val Kilmer and George Clooney. He appeared in the firt two of the Batman franchise films but when Tim Burton was dropped as the director of the third film, Keaton refused to continue the role, sticking by the director who had helped him rise to stardom.

He still remained a wanted actor in the 1990's, however his choices of roles proved to be selective and as such he often appeared in supporting roles where his witty charm could best be served. He has had notable roles in films such as Jackie Brown (1997), Pacific Heights (1990), Multiplicity (1996), and The Paper (1994). He has most recently lended his voice to the character of Ken in the Pixar animated film Toy Story 3 as well as appearing alongside Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in the action comedy The Other Guys (2010).